Modi hailed his government and each party MP that contributed to the Parliament‘s approval for the Bill seeking constitutional status to the National Commission for Backward Communities (NCBC), and urged his party leaders to work hard in taking credit for a move ‘that had not been done by four generations in the past’. He also pointed out that the government was quick to bring in the legislation to strengthen the law that prevents atrocities against Dalits.

A source present at the meeting said that ‘PM Modi asked his party’s MPs to conduct at least 50 public meetings in their respective regions and see that at least 1000 people garland each one of them, crediting the party for the OBC Bill’.

The Prime Minister hailed this Monsoon session as being ‘historic’, urging party leaders to observe August 1st to 9th every year as the ‘Social Harmony Week‘, to commemorate the BJP-led government’s initiatives for Dalits and OBCs. The party will observe the ‘Social Justice Fortnight‘ between Independence Day and August 30th this year, where BJP leaders are expected to reach out to weaker sections of society.

The Modi government received severe criticism for delaying legislative intervention when in March, the Supreme Court barred the arrest of an individual accused of insulting and injuring a person from the SC/ST community.

The Parliament meeting also saw the passing of a resolution congratulating Modi and his government for the NCBC Bill. The MPs of his government have been told by the Prime Minister to reach out to 16000 villages where 50 percent of the population is Dalit or OBC, to ensure that development schemes for these people have been initiated.

Ananth Kumar, the Parliamentary Affair Minister, said that the Prime Minister recalled in his speech following the BJP’s 2014 election victory that his government would be dedicated to the poor, the villages and the backward sections of society. He stated that these Bills underline the BJP government’s commitment.

“A historic law has been passed and another is likely to be passed in a day or two.”, Kumar said.

Founded in 2017, The Indian Wire is headquartered in Bangalore with a branch office in Noida. TIW currently covered news & updates in English and Hindi, with plans to launch more vernacular languages later this year.